In 1997, the crew of the Event Horizon made a forever impression on moviegoers, and the film’s classic status grows with every year that passes. IDW Publishing has since expanded that world with a prequel series, but now the team of Christian Ward, Rob Carey, Alex Ray, and Nicolas Nino has finally given the film a proper sequel in Event Horizon: Inferno. This isn’t a sequel in name only, either, as the debut issue builds upon the foundation set by the original film while also charting a course of its own, and it’s off to one hell of a start.
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Event Horizon: Inferno takes place 200 years after the events of the original film, but it doesn’t take long before the connections between the series and the film start to reveal themselves. The eeriness that seemed to pervade every scene of the film starts to build as the issue plays out, and by the end, not only is the mission clear, but so is the threat, and it all connects in a truly satisfying way.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
| PROS | CONS |
| Leans Into The Supernatural And Brings New Elements To The Franchise | Still Need More Time With The Main Crew |
| The Artwork Is A Brilliant Fit For Sci-Fi Horror |
Inferno Isn’t Just A Title
The connections to the original film quickly start to show themselves, but the series looks to be leaning into that Inferno title in a number of new interesting ways as well. That’s especially true of the book’s introduction, which at first feels more outright supernatural than the film, but also feels like a natural progression of the film’s themes and brand of horror when you stop to think about it.
Those early pages set the stage for how we get back to the Event Horizon, and after a quick process of getting up to speed on where the world is at the moment and the timeframe, the book is off to the races, and feels more and more in line with the haunting presence that the original film so masterfully conveyed.
As the story plays out, more disturbing elements start to come into focus, and the incredibly detailed artwork of Rob Carey is a brilliant fit for these more horror-centric elements. There’s not much time for the crew to break down their personalities once they start the mission, but Carey brings so much out of their expressions and interactions with each other that, despite the brevity, it still feels like you have a grasp on what they bring to the story. That said, Carey’s work on the Event Horizon itself is stunning, and every time it shows up, an ominous aura shows up with it.
All of that is followed by a pivotal moment that establishes what this series is going to be and how it will expand the mythology in a massive way. As the issue rolls to its endpoint, the hooks are in, and future issues have the potential to leave this one in the dust.
A More Sinister Mystery At Play
You’ll also meet the unfortunate souls that have to traverse this hellish place, and while you just get a broad overview of them as individuals, they all hold potential. You get a much clearer view of the antagonist of this series, at least outside of the Event Horizon itself, and while they are at the forefront, there are still plenty of questions that need to be answered about their past, their decisions in the past, and their true motives in the here and now.
The book’s introduction sets things in motion that require some context, and by the end of the issue, the series thankfully makes it a point to show that those events will continue to have an impact as the story moves forward, and in a number of ways.
Inferno also makes it clear that no one is safe here, especially with the volatile individuals involved in making this mission a reality, and that element of unpredictability should serve the series well. Between those mysteries and the horrors the crew will undoubtedly face as they move forward, it appears that the team has captured the spark of what made the original so great in the first place, and if this is just the opening act, we could be in for an epic and unsettling sci-fi adventure.
- Published By: IDW Publishing
- Written By: Christian Ward
- Art By: Rob Carey
- Lettering By: Alex Ray
Event Horizon: Inferno #1 hits comic stores on April 22nd, 2026.
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Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme -
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